Michael's Blog

Just look at those beautiful obelisks near the front door.

I had driven past this house a few years before.  It had caught my attention that it could be a Yelland!Back then I remember saying to myself, it looks like a Yelland but what are those crazy obelisks doing there.  I was unfamiliar with that design detail in his designs at that time.

When I started showing the S.E. Taylor Residence designed by Yelland, I started noticing some simularities between that home and the one I had seen years before. 

In fact I remember that the S.E. Taylor house had me fooled for years too.  I remember hearing from the Oakland Heritage Alliance (Betty Marvin and Gail Lombardi) that there was a Yelland on Alma Place off of Park.  I had always assumed (and correctly at that) 816 was the Yelland in question at the very end of the street. 

It was only when I had seen the collection of photographs at the Berkeley Heritage Alliance that I recognized that 857 Alma was the Yelland that every one had been referring to.   It was another one of those houses that looked like it could be but it had those obelisks.  The photo collection from B.A.H.A. only just confirmed it.

Obelisks are IN when it comes to Yellandesque

It had always been nagging me that that house up off of Keller and Edwards could be a Yelland and I should go back and give it some further investigation.

I am glad I went back and hunted down the home from my memory of a few years ago.  This time I brought a camera.

Have any of you local Oakland agents seen any obelisks on any properties you've seen!  Let me know so I can investigate it.   Wooo-hoooo  too much fun.